Puberty
by CheekyAngel
Summary: chapter11up!sorry havent updated! Summer's a time for changes. Ron and Hermione have changed, in more ways than one and to Harry thats bad cause he hasn't. But change might just be the thing Ron needs to finally realize how he feels for Hermione.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This story takes place in their 4th year. The characters are based solely on the ones in the book as opposed to their personalities in the movie. I felt that after watching the movie I thought of ron, harry and hermione all the time as the characters the actors portrayed in the movie so I reread the book to remember their real personalities. I hope u enjoy the story. please review n tell me if I should continue with the 2nd chapter n so forth…thanx a lot!@!!

********

Harry looked at his watch for the 10th time in the past 15 minutes- 11 o'clock. Mr. Weasley should be here any minute, he thought. He sat at the dining table quietly, adjusting his suitcase and Hedwig's cage. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley sat at the other end of the table, dreading the moment when Arthur Weasley would knock on their door. They had reason to be afraid of course, especially Dudley, who had suffered having a tail once before by the means of magic.

      Harry grinned as he remembered his joy when he read Ron's hastily written

letter just 2 days before:

_Dear Harry,        _

_      How are you keeping? I hope the Dursleys haven't been treating you too badly. As for me, I've been okay except for the fact that I've had to put up with Percy's constant nattering on his wonderful new job at the Ministry._

_     Well, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that my dad and I are coming to get you day after tomorrow whether the Muggles like it or not. We figure you need to get your school books somehow and besides, Mom doesn't like the idea of you being there any longer. _

_      Hermione will be at The Burrow as well. I figured she could stay with Ginny.._

_So, I'll see you soon._

_                                                                                                                                     Ron_

         Harry had been ecstatic after reading it. He couldn't wait to see Ron and Hermione again. It would be fun. 

         At that moment, there was a loud banging on the door. "Hello??? Hello!" Mr Weasley shouted, still banging on the door. Uncle Vernon glared at Harry, his eyebrows raised questioningly. Dudley ran upstairs while Aunt Petunia went into the kitchen. As for Harry, he just grinned.

      Gathering his things, he walked to the door and pulled it open. Two red headed men stood there- the shorter one, Arthur Weasley and the taller one, Harry wasn't sure who, but he looked very much like Charlie Weasley.

   "Why, hello, Harry. I was wondering when someone would answer the door," Mr Weasley said smiling.

     "Hi, Harry. Where are the Muggles?" the taller man said, peering in the doorway. Harry was puzzled. Had he met this man before? He certainly didn't recognise his voice. And then he looked up at him. Harry's eyes widened…Could it be…Was it possible that this man was….

    "Ron?" Harry squeaked. "Yeah. Surprise, surprise," he said sheepishly, looking at the floor. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Not only had Ron grown at least 5 inches taller, his formerly boyish voice was now deep. Not forgetting the pimples which had now replaced the freckles on his face.

    "well, you boys can catch up with each other in the car, " Mr Weasley said. And for the first time, Harry noticed the white Morris Minor parked jn the driveway. Mr Weasley chuckled seeing Harry's confusion at seeing the car.

    "Don't worry, Harry. It's not ours. I've learnt my lesson with the Ford Anglia. I rented this from the nice little car shop down the road. But of course a little magic was in need if we ever want to reach The Burrow. I'm sure Mrs Weasley will have a fit….But anyway, lets get going shall we?' he said briskly as he led the way to the relatively new car.

       The whole journey was spent in silence. Mr Weasley seemed deep in thought about something while Harry and Ron didn't seem to be able to say anything to each other. Harry was still in awe of his friends transformation- he felt shocked, upset, and embarrassed that he looked like such a kid beside his friend. Ron sensed the awkwardness of the situation and didn't seem to be able to strike up conversation or maybe even offer comforting words to Harry without insulting his pride.

         When they finally reached The Burrow, Harry was given his usual warm welcome from Mrs Weasley ("Oh, Harry, dear, how nice to see you!), was a victim of one of Fred and George's tricks (the exploding hand shake) and of course Ginny's blushing. Ron led him up to his room where another surprise lay in store for Harry. A poster of a stunning model hung at the foot of Ron's bed- something that had never been there before.

      They went down just in time to greet Hermione at the door. Poor Harry was given yet another shock. Instead of the impish, bushy haired, buck teeth girl he had expected to see he saw a rather attractive, tall girl with straight sleek hair and regular looking teeth. And the biggest shock was the curves- something she had obviously tried to conceal with baggy robes, but failed. Glancing at Ron, Harry knew he was not alone by being shocked. But unlike Harry, Ron seemed to be pleasantly surprised as opposed to his feelings of dread that his friends were growing up too fast.

     "Hermione?" Ron asked, unable to conceal his surprise. In response, Hermione just blushed and attempted to explain as she came into the house.

     "Oh, please, Ron. You don't look all the same either. If you must know, my mother _finally_ allowed me to straighten my hair. It got awfully frizzy once I hit….Anyways, that explains the hair. As for my teeth, which I know you were going to ask about too Ron, a little magic was in order…Mom and Dad don't know about it. They'll kill me being dentists and all," she muttered. For a moment or two, a look passed between Ron and Hermione- one Harry wasn't able to understand and left him feeling even more left out.

       "So, whats the big transformation for anyways? … Oh wait, what a dumb question! To capture Larry Freeman's attention of course! Silly me!" Ron said sarcastically, slapping his forehead. Hermione glared at him.

      "What utter rubbish! I have absolutely no feelings for Larry. He's just a good friend..unlike some people. Besides, I don't have to tell YOU anything about how I look or how I act, do I? But, wait a minute, look there. What's with all the gel, Ron? Perhaps you're trying to capture Sally Parker's heart?" Hermione asked coyly. Harry noticed that Ron had indeed used a lot of gel on his hair to style it. But all of a sudden, he felt himself getting very angry.

      "Oh shut up, you two. You've just seen each other and already the fighting's began!" Harry said angrily. Then he turned around and went up the stairs to Ron's room. Hermione and Ron were left in a bewildered state, shocked at their friend's sudden outburst. In all the time they knew Harry, he had never spoken that way. 

    'Look what you've done! You just had to start, didn't you?" Hermione said angrily. Ron just glared at her and said, "Oh, just drop it, won't you?" And for once, she didn't retort.

*********

              Harry lay down on Ron's bed, wondering what had brought him to shout at his friends like that. But in truth, he knew the answer. He had felt annoyed, angry at his friends for doing this to him. He felt angry at himself. Why, why hadn't he grown? Would he always be a skinny, short kid?

       Harry grabbed his towel from his suitcase and made his way to the Weasley's small bathroom. A shower always helped him relax. When he had finished undressing, he couldn't help but stare at his reflection in the long mirror in the bathroom. His body was thin, scrawny. A boy's body. Harry looked even lower. He wondered if Ron had experienced an orgasm yet? The previous year, when he and Ron had been the same size, they used to talk in hushed tones about this. He, Dean, Seamus, Ron- they would talk at night about things every boy wondered about. Puberty, sex, girls. But none of them had exactly experienced any of those things. He wondered if Dean and Seamus had grown too? Had they had wet dreams, dreams of naked girls? Did they masturbate? He didn't know why, but Harry always associated masturbating with guys who had just hit puberty.

        Harry sighed and looked away from the mirror. With a heavy heart, he walked to the shower and turned on the shower. He closed his eyes as hot needles of water hit his body, wondering if he and Ron could ever have the same relationship again.

*******

          Ron peered into his bedroom. He breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't find Harry there. With that, he went in and locked the door behind him. He jumped on his bed and thought. His mind filled with so many thoughts, he felt dizzy. He felt pity for Harry, awkwardness at himself, and wonder at Hermione. He hadn't been able to get over his initial shock at seeing her. It was the first time the fact that she was a girl hit him with full force. As soon as he saw her, how attractive she was, he had been filled with a sense of possessiveness. He felt as if Hermione was his and he had to make sure it stayed that way. He had always been defensive of Hermione, even protective of her, even though they constantly argued. He couldn't stand her miss know it all attitude. But he had never imagined the type or even depth of his feelings for her. Perhaps her physical change had made him realise how much he liked her – wanted her? Even though so, his mouth couldn't stop itself. He just had to start an argument cause that was how he was accustomed to dealing with her.

      Ron closed his eyes, picturing Hermione in his mind. It disturbed him that he felt his penis go erect at the thought of her, of her body full of curves. In fact, he was disturbed by the very fact he was feeling this way about her. He wouldn't have ever imagined he'd ever feel this way about any girl- especially Hermione.  Sudenly there was a knock on the door. Ron hastily got up and made his way to the door with a sigh.


	2. Hermione deals

           Hermione bit her lip as she glanced at her reflection. Should she wear a baggier shirt? The pale yellow T-shirt she was wearing with her baggy jeans were 3 sizes too big for her as it was, but Hermione still wasn't satisfied. Her…chest still stuck out awkwardly, visible too everyone. She quickly looked at the door to make sure it was locked. She didn't want Ginny to come in and see her like this.

        With a sigh, she sat on Ginny's bed, cursing herself. She wondered for the hundreth time why she had gone ahead and taken Ursula's Body Gro Potion. But she knew why. Hermione despite the mature image she portrayed, still had feelings. Things still bothered her. Even petty things like her size. Hermione had been fed up of being practically flat chested and the smallest for her age. She thought that after getting her period, her body would change and it did. Just not as much as she wanted. So Hermione resorted to magic which solved the problem a little too well for her liking.

       Not only had she shot up a few inches, her bust had increased to such an extent (over a certain period of time, of course, as to avoid suspicion) that she couldn't wear any of her old clothes. To other girls, this would have been wonderful, but Hermione wasn't other girls. She had tailored her robes and bought new clothes so that they would conceal her chest but that didn't work. The only time Hermione had actually felt the tiniest bit of pleasure from her new body was when she saw Ron's reaction. She knew the moment he saw her that he finally realised she was a girl- something she had been trying to get into his thick skull for so long. But her pleasure vanished quickly when he began to focus his attention on her breasts. He pretended he wasn't looking, but Hermione had noticed his stares during lunch the previous day.

       Of course, she wasn't the only one who had changed. Ron looked so different, she felt he was a different person. But of course, he was the same big mouth. But still, he was so…manly, it scared her. She was afraid he'd change any moment and not want to have anything to do with her now that he was so grown up.

       Suddenly there was a knock on the door, "May I come in dear?" Hermione shoved all her clothes back in her suitcase and opened the door for Mrs Weasley. Her friend's mother wass smiling kindly at Hermione as she entered the room.

      "I see you've changed for dinner," she said. Hermione blushed and looked down at her feet. For some reason, she felt that that comment meant a lot more than it seemed. She looked up as Mrs Weasley sat down on Ginny's bed and patted the space beside her. She obediently went and sat next to her, wondering what was going on.

     "Dear," Mrs Weasley began kindly, " How have you been? It has been a long time since I've seen you and we haven't had the chance to catch up. A lot has changed, I see. Anything you would like to discuss with me?"

      "No…nothing," Hermione said surprised. Her face went red as ever. Mrs Weasley looked at her knowingly and smiled encouragingly. When Hermione failed to reply, she continued,

    "Look, Hermione, it is very obvious you have grown up. In more ways than one. But that should not be something to be ashamed of. Puberty is a wonderful thing, you're entering into womanhood. Don't be self conscious about how you look because you're beautiful," Mrs Weasley said softly, still smiling. Hermione  was so surprised that Mrs Weasley understood what she was going through.

      "Don't be so surprised, love, I did go through this stage too," she said laughing, " I'm one of 6 sisters you see, the youngest. And when I got my period, my, you should have seen how I grew. I was so embarrassed as I was the tallest and had the biggest chest of the 6 of us. I used to do what your doing now. But then I realised that my body was an advantage, not a disadvantage. I changed and look what happened? I got Mr Weasley!" She chuckled and winked at Hermione who blushed.

     "But, Mrs Weasley, its so obvious….and Ron and Harry….," Hermione said softly, looking at her lap. Mrs Weasley looked troubled for a moment, worried. But seeing that Hermione was watching her, she laughed and said, "Boys will be boys dear. Oh dear, you should have seen Fred and George when they hit puberty. There were PlayWizard's hidden everywhere!"

      Then she got up, kissed Hermione and suggested that she change into something nicer as Mr Weasley was treating all of them to a rather posh restaurant as he had been given a raise. As soon as she left, Ginny came in and Hermione shyly asked if she could borrow a dress.

*******

            Ron tried to stop staring but he couldn't. His fettucini had hardly been touched. He had been in this dopey state ever since Hermione had come down the stairs in The Burrow wearing one of Ginny's dresses. But it looked nothing like her dress when Hermione wore it. It was a faded dark blue dress with a Chinese collar. The dress clung tight to her body finally revealing her true body shape to everyone. Since that moment, no matter how hard he tried and how many times he felt disgusted at himself, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her.

        "She's really turned into a hot bird, hasn't she, our Hermione?" Fred whispered in his ear, winking. "I wouldn't mind having a piece of her myself," he continued. Ron glared at him, controlling his anger as he balled his fists under the table. Fred smirked.

      "Cool it. Didn't know she was yours. Or is she?," he said slyly. Ron turned red and ignored him, picking at his food. He was just being protective of a friend. He always had been, even before she changed. There's nothing different about how he reacted…. Or was there?

********


	3. Explosions

_A/N: Thank u so much to all who have reviewed. I really, really, really appreciate it. Pls, pls all who read this review! Even a single letter of the alphabet is welcome cause I want 2 know how many pppl are reading this. if u don't like it, say so 2- I don't mind. oh, I've edited the first chapter of the 'bad' stuff so I hope dee's happy__J__…ok, thank u!~!_

             Harry lay down on the mattress next to Ron's bed, trying to block out his friends soft snoring. Despite all his efforts, he couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. All he could think about was Ron and Hermione. He had been miserable for the past two days. He felt as if a great distance had formed between the three of them. If it wasn't enough that they had changed physically, now their relationships with each other threatened to change as well.  Harry had always suspected Ron's feelings for Hermione but right up until two days ago, Ron hadn't realized it. Now it was clear to everyone that Ron was in awe of her. To others it seemed like a mere physical attraction but Harry knew better although he was surprised at how much his friend could drool.

           Ron, of course, had tried to continue talking to Harry the way they used to. But Harry couldn't bring himself to act the same way as before. His friend was so different now, how could it possibly go back to the way it was? For the first time, Harry was the one who was jealous.

**********

            The next day, Ron and Harry were awakened by a loud explosion from Fred and George's room. "Bloody hell!" Ron yelled as he jumped out of bed and ran to the door, followed by Harry. 

         The corridor was filled with smoke and the two boys began to cough. "What's going on?" Hermione asked when she and Ginny had come out of their room. She took out her wand, pointed it at the smoke and coughed, "Clarito!". Immediately, the smoke disappeared. The four of them walked into Fred and George's room. There was a huge hole in their wall and the twins were staring at it, dumb founded.

      "What in the heavens is going on here," Molly Weasley yelled as she entered the room. Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny immediately made their way out, knowing what was coming next. And sure enough the yelling began. Eavesdropping, they found out that Fred and George had tried to use a spell to create a tunnel in their wall that would go directly to whichever place you wished to go. Obviously, the spell had backfired.

     "How stupid of them! The Travellers Tunnel spell can only be performed in the presence of a certified wizard!" Hermione said, shaking her head. "If they had bothered to read A History of Witchcraft and Wizardry they would know!," she continued, disapprovingly.

      Ginny laughed. "Oh, the day Fred and George read anything besides their trick books is the day Percy stops bragging about his job!" she said. All of them laughed, careful to see if Percy was lurking around anywhere.

      "Harry and Ron! I'm surprised you two have just woken up. Didn't you know Mrs Weasley was taking us to Diagon Alley? Really, you two should learn to be punctual!" commented Hermione. Ron rolled his eyes.

      "Hermione, you may look different, but you definitely haven't changed in any other way," Ron muttered. Hermione scowled and said, "Ditto!"

*******

          "Whoa! Harry, take a look at this!" Ron yelled. Harry ran towards Ron and his eyes widened. "What is that?" Harry said in a whisper staring at the multi-coloured thing Ron was holding. For a moment, the two of them just stared at it in silence.

        Hermione came up to them and asked, "What's the attraction?" Ron just pointed to the thing he was holding. Hermione laughed. "You're not serious are you?" she said, in between her giggles. Harry and Ron looked at her, puzzled. Everyone in the pet store was now looking at them.

    "Its…a…. piece of….a..Veronian's…droppings!!!" Hermione gasped, tears in her eyes. She pointed to the cage hanging above their heads. The dark brown, bird like creature was surrounded by such things in its cage.  Hermione continued to laugh.

     "What??!!," Ron exclaimed, dropping the thing, "that was bird poop??" He and Harry looked shocked. Hermione nodded and the two of them turned red. The next thing they knew, they were all laughing so hard it hurt. Harry thought it was just like before. So far, everything seemed to be like it always had been. Maybe, just maybe, things could be the same…

      "Hello, Granger, Weasley…Potter. What's so funny? Did you just realize what all of you are? An orphan, a beggar and a..Mudblood," a familiar voice drawled from behind them. Harry's feelings immediately vanished when he saw Draco Malfoy, now even taller than Ron. He smirked as Ron clenched his fists.

     "How dare you, Malfoy," he hissed. Draco just laughed. "My, how you've grown. You must feel so strong and mighty. And Granger- changing your hair and your teeth won't change what you are, a filthy…" This time Harry reacted before Ron did. He took out his wand and held it out threateningly.

      "Don't fool yourself, Potter. Look at your size. I could beat you in a second. Even Granger could, come to think of it," Draco said menacingly. Harry turned bright red. Hermione, seeing his embarrassment, took charge and pointed her wand at Draco. He gave one last smile and walked away.

        "Oh, Harry, he's such an ass. Ignore him," Hermione said angrily, staring after Draco as he walked out of the store. More easily said than done, thought Harry. 

       "Malfoy was up to his old nonsense again, I suppose," George asked when the twins joined them seconds after the scene. Hermione nodded, her face still fixed in a scowl as was Ron's. Only Harry looked miserable and still red faced.

      "Come on Harry. We've got something for you," Fred said, after he and George had exchanged a look. The next thing he knew, Harry was being dragged by the twins out of the pet store and to a dark, secluded area near Knockturn Alley.

       George looked left and right before saying, "Look Harry. We think this might help" Fred removed something from his pocket and thrust it into Harry's hand. ….

A/N: Cliffhanger!!! Review, review, review!!!!! Idea's on how 2 continue the story very very very much appreciated. I hope the story line's ok so far. I know its kind of lame but…..*sigh*. So..whats the things Fred and George gave Harry and whats it for? Find out in the next instalment of puberty..Stay tuned, folks..J

p.s. try not 2 think of draco as the cute guy in the movie but as the evil one in the book…hehe, draco is just 2 cute in the movie, don't u think???

-CheekyAngel-


	4. Good NewsOr Not?

A/N: I wanted 2 wait for feedback from the readers before I continued the story but I just cant help myself! I need 2 write! aaaaah! next time, u guys review earlier! This story lives on reviews..no reviews, no story..as for the lot, I know its kinda dull at the moment but it will get better.promise.

it was also kindly pointed out 2 me that Herm can't use magic outside school. well, lets just assume they allowed her the benefit of the doubt just this once ;)…shhh, it's a secret!!

oh, thanx 2 all who reviewed. I can't remember ur exact names ( sumthing like ronandhermione_4eva, dee…) you know who u r n I'm tryin my best 2 pay u back by reading ur work 2 but some of u don't leave signed reviews! aaah, again…lol..ok,ok, enough of this..on with  the story

FINALLY- MERRY CHRISTMAS, YOU GUYS!!!!!!! :)

********

          "What the …" Harry muttered, looking down at the bottle in his hand. It was full of multi-coloured pills. A frown formed on his face as he read the flashing red, blue and green writing on the bright yellow label..

Ursula's Body Gro Pills For Men 

_The magical drug now comes in capsule form._

_2 pills everyday will trigger maximum body growth in 6 weeks._

_Increase amount of pills taken daily for quicker results._

_Caution: Strictly for human consumption. _

         Harry's face turned crimson. Was it that obvious that he felt left out? Did he look so pathethic to the Weasleys that they pitied him?

        "Its nothing to be embarrassed about, Harry," Fred said, noticing his discomfort, "We just want to help. Loads of people take it. Practically half of our mates do. There're even some for girls! Who knows, Hermione could've taken some too." The twins sniggered, exchanging looks that Harry didn't really want to figure out.

       "How'd you afford it?" Harry muttered, his eyes fixed on the bottle. Another look was exchanged between the twins. "Oh, don't worry about that…." was George's reply. His answer only increased Harry's reservations about taking the pills.

       "So, what do you say? It's really a normal thing, you know," George asked, tapping his foot on the ground. Harry looked up from the bottle to the twins and down again. For some reason, his face seemed to like the colour red that day. 

       Finally he replied, "I'll think about it. Just let me keep it, ok?… And, um, could we keep this between the three of us?" The twins smiled knowingly and nodded.

      "Come on, then, Ron and _Hermione  will be waiting for us," Fred said, winking at George. For some reason, Harry felt very uneasy about the way they said his friend's name. _

********

        When they got back from Diagon Alley, an official looking owl was perched on the gate of The Burrow. "Post from Hogwarts, it seems. I wonder what it's about. School starts in two days," Mrs Weasley said with a frown, passing out the owls to the respective reciepients.

        "Oh no," Hermione wailed. She looked close to tears as she folded her letter up again. The twins, however, had a completely different reaction to the news they received

     "No school for another month! Wizard!" George exclaimed, grinning widely. Harry and Ron had mixed feelings about this new development. It would be great to put of studying for a whole month but they had been looking forward to returning to Hogwarts and meeting up with their friends.

     "How could they do this?" Hermione cried, "The entire castle being flooded is not a good reason enough to shut down the school!" Ron rolled his eyes, and even Harry couldn't help but smirk.

     "Oh, then what is, Hermione? The castle being burnt to a crisp? Oh, or maybe that still wouldn't be good enough for you. We could always camp outside," Ron said sarcastically. Everyone laughed at this, even Mr Weasley, although he tried hard not to. Only Mrs Weasley looked stern.

    "I'm disappointed at all of you. Hermione, unlike the rest of you lazy gits, -not including you, Harry- actually wants to study. All of you should be disappointed you cant go back and fill your heads with useful things for a change!" Mrs Weasley scolded. She put her arms around Hermione's shoulders and walked her in the house. As soon as they were out of sight, the rest of them exploded into laughter.

     "Now, now…Your mothers right," Mr Weasley said as he ushered the laughing group into the garden. But the smile on his face was as plain as day.

******       

A/N: ok, ok, I know…super short chapter..but hey, its Christmas eve!! if u really, really, really need more, you can always check out my work in progress, "I'm Here For You."…Go now! Read it!


	5. Decisions

A/N: 'twas the night after Christmas. A talented writer wipes her brow as she writes furiously, in attempt to meet her deadline….haha…just kidding!

don't worry, I don't have that big an ego!..:)

so, how was Christmas? mine was ok, I guess…I got clothes, and clothes, and clothes….

hehe…

oh, n my wonderful, sweet, talented, kind hearted, considerate (ok, running out of adjectives here) reviewers- thank u so, so, so much! like I said, before (and in every other chapter, if u've noticed) I need those reviews n u have been so great by giving them…

I would name each of u individually, but as my memory is not very good- I'm getting old, u c….if u count being in ur early teens old- I cant remember!!…

lets c how good I am- kickedoutofthegoblet, dee, carly, lady sumthing, some names that have 2 do with herm n ron, ….umm….aaargh….i'm sure there's more but I cant remember!!!!…*sigh*…I'm so, so, sorry, but I am eternally grateful to you'all n e ways, ok???

ok, stop blabbing u! get back 2 work!!!!

( I'm weird…talking 2 myself, already!!)

umm- one more thing..:) ..hehe so sorry…..go check out my other story if u have the time….

alrite, I promise there will b no note at the end of this chapter to make up 4 this incredibly long one!!!! :)

******

           Harry spent the most part of the next day trying to make a decision. He felt really stupid for even considering doing such a thing. It seemed so…pathetic in a way. He really wanted to do it quick and get it over with, but then everyone would be suspicious. But then again, 6 weeks was a long time to wait. His decision making was interrupted, however, by a row between Hermione and Ron. 

      The three of them had been sitting out in the garden, Hermione reading, Harry thinking (decision making, remember?) and Ron seemingly watching the clouds. Fred, George and Ginny had gone to visit their great grand aunt. A visit Ron had managed to escape from using his friends' presence as an excuse.

    All was quiet, until Hermione suddenly looked up from her book and shouted, "Stop staring at my chest, Ron!" Her face immediately turned crimson when she realised what she had said. In truth, Hermione had noticed Ron's staring at her for some time and it made her feel increasingly uncomfortable around him. If this was what puberty did to him, she was very much against it.

        "Wh..what..I was not..What?" Ron stammered, his own face the reddest shade Harry had ever seen. Harry had, of course, noticed the staring, but he had no idea Hermione was aware of it.

    "Oh, please, Ron! This has been going on for days! Why can't you go….look at some porn, o something!" she continued to yell, praying hard that no one heard her. Ron looked as if his he couldn't speak. 

      Finally, he opened his mouth in reply, "I have not been staring! Why should I?" His face never changed colour.

      "Oh, just shut up Ron. I didn't know puberty could do this to you. Make you stare at girls' bodies. I never thought…I never thought you, of all people could be so perverted!" she shouted, getting to her feet and storming back into the house. Ron's mouth hung open, but no sound came out.

      "I wasn't staring- there," he finally said to Harry, although his eyes were still fixed on the door. Harry didn't want to risk getting into an argument with Ron so he just shrugged. Besides, they hadn't been talking for awhile anyway.

********

       That night, Harry made his decision. Apart from that once comment in the garden, Ron hadn't said anything to harry about the fight. In the old days, Ron would have gone on and on about how unreasonable Hermione was being but he hadn't at all. This proved to harry that his friendship with Ron had changed. So he decided to take the pills, if anything but to save his friendship with Ron – something he missed sorely.

So, Harry slipped out of the room with the bottle, got himself a glass of water, and with two pills in his hand he took a big gulp. Now, he just had to wait and see what would happen. 


	6. Changes

A/N: Once again, thanx 4 the reviews. It's very disconcerting to know that your work may not be one of a kind, anymore. I'm referring to Margharita's comment that she was writing a simmilar story to mine. I know it might sound selfish, even stuck up, but this baby's MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE!!!!!!!!….:)….hehe, its good tat u like this story, but I hope u understand how I feel although I really cant stop u from doing what you want…this story isn't copyrighted ( although I wish it was) and everything written in fan fiction is bound to be copied one day or another. ..but, please,please,please forgive me if u have thought up the idea for ur story long b4 this one came out. Well, n e way, I hope u guys understand why I'm being such a brat and will forgive me for it…its just so hard *sob* ……….

****************

              The next morning, Harry woke up with a terrible headache. He wondered if it was a side effect of taking the pills. He also wondered how long it would take until the transformations happened. He did take 2 pills after all, which would mean that he would grow to his maximum size in 3 weeks. Would it be too suspicious?

        He got out of bed and looked at his reflection in the small mirror on one of Ron's bedroom walls. Nothing unusual, he thought. But then he spotted a pimple on his forehead. Was it just a normal thing or was it the work of the Body Gro pills? Harry smiled to himself when he thought about what would happen if he continued to wonder if every new thing that happened to him was a result of the pills. _Oops, I'm sleepy- is it a side effect of the pills; Oh, no, I'm sweating. Is it the pills?_ He walked away from the mirror and pondered waking up his snoring friend but thought the better of it. 

     When he was in the shower, Harry examined every square inch of his body but to no avail  "I don't know what I expect to find, really," he muttered, slightly disappointed. Suddenly, Harry doubled over in pain. He felt as if something was inside him, trying to get out. He sat on the wet tiles, gritting his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside. The pain shifted from his abdomen to his chest, from his arms to his legs, and finally to his groin, where the pain seemed to be the worst. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the pain disappeared suddenly as if by magic. His body, which had began to relax, tensed up again when his arm began to tingle. Harry's eyes opened wide in alarm as he watched the skin on his arm begin to bubble. A few seconds later, the skin on his whole body was bubbling. It was a sickening sight and Harry closed his eyes in disgust and fear, scared for his life.

      And then, as abruptly as it started, his skin stopped bubbling. Harry didn't relax yet though, he didn't move a muscle for fear the whole thing would happen again. 15 minutes passed and still nothing happened. Then, Harry heard someone banging on the door, yelling his name.

     "Coming! I'm just done," he yelled back. He got to his feet and grabbed his towel, determined on getting an explanation for what had just happened.

******

       Hermione and Ron kept their distance from each other the whole day.  Ron pretended that he was furious at her for making such an accusation but in truth he was embarrassed and flustered. He hadn't known that his staring at her was so obvious and the whole day he didn't give so much as a glance towards her. But in his heart, he was really troubled that she thought of him as a pervert. Yes, at first, his focus had been on her…chest, but later on he found that he started to stare at _her._ If he thought this would have comforted him more, he was wrong- he felt worse than ever. At least when he was staring at her body he could explain it using his hormones as an excuse. But staring at _her, _constantly thinking of her- that was a different, even more disturbing situation than ever and Ron was completely confused.

      Hermione, on the other hand, was no longer furious at Ron but really upset. Although she would never admit it, her friendship with Ron was very important to her, as was Harry's, and she hated the fact that it had been jeopardised because of her- or to be more exact, her body. The only good thing was that Harry was exactly the same as before and although he was slightly awkward around her she didn't have to worry about their friendship changing at all. At least she hoped so.

*****

           "Err…Harry…you haven't taken the pills already have you?" Fred whispered under his breath to Harry as they ate lunch at the dining table. 

         "Yes..why?" Harry replied, his face beginning to flush and wondering what it was Fred was getting at. He scooped more mashed potatoes onto his plate, loading on the gravy. Another thing Harry loved about The Burrow was that Mrs Weasley cooked the most delicious food. Something he rarely got to taste at the Dursley's. Aunt Petunia's chicken soup tasted like water with a dash of salt in it.

      "Well…err…have you noticed that you've grown an inch taller?" he whispered, "I don't think the others have noticed – yet- but you used to be the same height as Hermione. Now you're taller," he continued.

      Harry nearly choked on his potatoes. He had grown taller? After the incident in the bathroom, Harry had considered asking the twins about what had happened but he decided not to. His predicament was embarrassing enough as it was- he didn't want them to think he was a wimp and couldn't even take a bit of pain. Harry of course hadn't realized the stupidity of his thoughts. After all, he had survived the bringer of the worst pain imaginable – Voldermort.

        After lunch, Harry returned to his reflection gazing. No more changes. At least on his face. _Oh, well, _thought Harry, _at least I'm on my way._

*******

A/N: so….whaddya think? don't worry, there will b more changes 2 come n I'm considering making them funny…

oh, n hav u read my other story?


	7. What happened?

A/N: Ok, I am so so SORRY for not updating sooner. I regret it cos now not all of the previous readers might want to continue reading….i really apologise..

sorry! and I apologise to margarita (is that rite?)….i feel so dumb. haha

       The next morning Harry woke up and ran to the mirror. He almost yelled out in horror when he saw his reflection. Harry's once smooth skin was now blemished by pimples. How could this happen overnight? This certainly wasn't a side effect that he wanted.

    He quickly got dressed and tip toed out of the room to avoid waking up the snoring Ron. To his surprise, Hermione was sitting at the top of the stairs, alone. For some reason, the two of them seemed to be the only ones awake.

    "Hermione?" he asked as he approached her. She glanced quickly up at him with swollen red eyes and glanced down again, rubbing her eyes furiously with the sleeve of her nightgown. 

     "Mr and Mrs Weasley went to see Mrs Weasley's aunr who's ill," Hermione said, her voice hoarse. Harry was confused. Did Hermione know Mrs Weasley's aunt and was so upset or was she just making a statement?

    "What's wrong?" Harry asked, worried as he sat beside her. Hermione just shook her head as she stared down at her lap. "Oh come on, Hermione!" Harry asked again.

      Suddenly, Hermione burst out in tears. "Its…everything! Ron….me…you…Oh, Harry why did everything have to change?" she sobbed. Harry's face turned pink. Was it possible that Hermione was feeling the same way he did? But that didn't make sense. She had..changed too.

     "I don't know how to say this….Everythings wrong….Ever since I took….Oh, nevermind. Harry- you don't think I was being unreasonable, do you? To Ron I mean," she asked, her voice quavering. Harry didn't know how to respond. How could he say that she wasn't and betray his other friend? But at the same time, he _had_ seen him staring at her and it was really up to Hermione how she wanted to react.

     Noticing his hesitation, she continued, "I know this must be awkward for you Harry…You always seem to be in the middle of our fights. I feel like I can never have the same relationship with Ron again. Oh, I wish puberty never happened to me..or him!" she wailed. Then the two of them turned red together. (A/N: there seems to be a lot of blushing in this story doesn't it?)

        "Harry," Hermione said, peering at his face, "you have..pimples. How could you possibly get so many overnight?" Harry really didn't know how to respond now.

      "Well, you know, Fred and George and their tricks. They replaced my talc with Acne Powder. Oh, well, got to go," Harry said quickly, ignoring Hermione's suspicious look. He got up and went back to Ron's room hoping nothing more would change, at least for today.

*******

          Later on in the evening, Harry and Ron who had been reading up in the bedroom (mainly because they didn't know what say to each other, as usual) heard a girl's scream from the garden. "Hermione," Ron said, jumping up from his bed and running out, Harry following suit.

       When they reached the garden, they saw a red faced Hermione, and the twins lying on the grass looking strangely as if they had been Stupefied. Seconds later, Ginny and Percy came running out as well.

    "What's happened here? I'm in charge here so please tell me what has happened?" Percy yelled, his voice bossier than usual as he had been left in charge for the day while his parents were out.

    "I…I cursed them…I di-didn't mean to," Hermione said, looking shocked at what she had just done. She pointed her wand at the twins again but Percy took it away.

    "Are you mad? Do you want to curse them _again_?" he shouted.

    "I was going to remove the curse!" Hermione protested, looking very distressed. Ron, Harry, and Ginny just stood there, not understanding what had happened.

    "Why did you curse them?" Harry asked. Percy echoed Harry's question in a bossier tone, glaring at Harry as if to say the question could only be asked by him.

    "Well-er..nevermind. I'll just remove the curse," Hermione said pointing her wand at the twins and muttering something. Then she ran into the house, giving the impression that she was trying to avoid a confrontation.

      The twins came to life and George  proceeded to yell, "What in the world did she do? I have a bloody splitting headache now!" The rest of the Weasleys and Harry just stared at them, trying to make sense of what had happened.

******

          After 15 more minutes of complaints from Fred and George, Harry and Ron helped them back into the house and drilled them for answers. Percy hung around too, although Harry and Ron made it very obvious he was not wanted. Ginny went up to Hermione to see what she could do.

      "Well, what happened??" Ron asked impatiently, wondering what in the world had possessed Hermione to curse his brothers. On second thought- it wasn't that big a mystery, he thought as he looked  at the two of them.

      "Well- um- don't be mad Ron. We just, um, told her what we thought of  her.." Fred said, somewhat awkwardly but there was no denying the grins on the twins faces. 

     Harry's raised eyebrow indicated to them that an explanation was needed. "Well, she's hot! We just thought she should know. But she really freaked out. It figures- she always was a bit to weird for my liking. And too…intelligent? Not our type at all. Don't worry Ron. She's all yours," Fred said, trying to sound normal. 

      Ron, who had been fuming for some reason at what the twins had done was even more furious when he heard that comment. He opened his mouth to say something, but for the first time he realized that there really was no point saying anything to them. he walked away and up the stairs leaving even Harry in shock. Ron had just given the first of many surprises to come.

*****

A/N: So, whaddya think? School's started again so expect updates later than usual…Once in 2 days mayb? N e way, a big thanks to all of u who despite my slow update are still faithful followers..i'll try n update my other story soon…


	8. Don't Go

A/N: Ok…Something has been wrong with fanfiction explaining my delay on updating…not many reviews from the usual readers….margarita stays faithful-yes….: )…all the rest of u wonderful readers, thanx.

it must b getting boring to hear my thank u's in evry chapter but I'm just showing how much I appreciate the reviews…so bear with me!!!..:) 

p.s.: a suggestion: listening to love songs while reading always makes stories more romantic..

        at least 4 me…at the mo , I'm listening to Down on bended Knee by Boyz 2 Men…b4 

        that as long as u luv me by bsb….hey, im not that corny!!! blame my mp3 player

          Ron went up the stairs and straight to Ginny's room. He knocked on the door then flung it open without waiting for a response. Hermione was packing clothes into her suitcase, Ginny beside her looking worried and asking her what happened.

     "Get out, Ginny," Ron ordered, his voice strained but soft. Ginny looked angry and opened her mouth to protest but as soon as she saw the look on his face she shut up and went out, closing the door behind her.

       "What happened out there?" Ron demanded. Hermione looked up at him, her face in a frown .

       "Don't talk to me like that, Ron," she said angrily. She continued to fold t-shirt after t-shirt, neatly placing them in the suitcase. Ron's eyes followed her every movement.

        "What did they say, Hermione? They are asses, I know, but that doesn't mean you have to leave just because of them!" Ron said, his tone softer. Hermione ignored him, and continued to pack her bag. Finally, she looked up, her eyes wet with tears.

      "Ron," she said, her voice barely audible, " what's happened to us- to you? It used to be so simple. Yes, we argued most of the time, but at least I knew you. At least we had our friendship, no matter what it seemed like from the outside. Now-now everything's different! You've changed…I don't know you anymore. And now your brothers…I'm sorry, but I just don't think I can ever come back here." Hermione began to sob as she pushed her way past Ron. He stared after her blankly. He didn't know what to do, what to say. It was as if he was watching the whole thing on a TV screen. He watched as she headed towards the door, suitcase in hand, not saying a word. Suddenly, he felt an overpowering need to say something, anything to keep her here.

      "No! Don't go!" he yelled. She turned around, her face tear stained. Ron knew he should say something- but what?

     "Her-hermione," he stammered, "don't go. Please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Fred and George, they're stupid idiots. I don't what exactly they said-or did- but please just forget about them? As for me, I have no excuse for how I behaved. Call me whatever you want- a pervert, sicko but just don't leave."

     Hermione just looked at him. Finally she asked, softly, "But why Ron? What happened to you?"

   For the first time in his life, Ron had no answer. He was really and truly stumped. How could he answer her when he himself was not sure of the answer? Why _had _he been staring at her? Why had she been on his mind 24-7 ever since he saw her at the door that morning? And that feeling he had when he first saw her- the possessiveness? What was that all about?

    Suddenly, it dawned on him. He knew exactly what he should do. He walked up to Hermione and……

A/N: cliffhanger…the one sure way 2 get responses…..: )…imagine what u like, u may even suggest it…..but in the end, its all in the waiting….oh yes- apologies 4 short chapter


	9. Confontations?

Thanx all reviewers- crazy ones like margarita, opinionated ones like hermnron4eva and all the rest ie:- Jenny, Dawiniky(another long time reader), kris1omichelle, fanggurlie and all the rest who have reviewed in other chapters…..:)..u guys r really n truly the best readers a writer could wish for..

n hey? did u hear that the 5th book is scheduled for release on June 22nd? check out yahoo…they have 2 tiny excerpts from the book which basically shows dumbledore saying that he will finally tell harry what he hasn't told him for 4 years…I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!

 ***************

        Ron walked up to Hermione, his face turning pink at the thought of what he was going to do. Hermione was looking at him, her face tear stained and her nose runny. Ron stood in front of her then he knelt down, and clasped his hands together.

      "Please, please, please,please stay, Hermione! See, I'm begging for forgiveness? Can you believe it? I – stupid, big headed Ron- am actually begging _you _for forgiveness! Who would have thought you'd ever see the day?" Ron said, trying to grin. 

      Hermione stared at him in amzement for a second. Then she begin to laugh and cry all at once. "Get up, Ron! You look like an idiot1" she scolded. She was smiling but it was obvious that she was trying to hide it.

     "So you'll stay?" he asked, standing up again. Hermione's face turned serious again, and she took out a napkin from her pocket.

     "…Yes…But I still don't forgive you," she added quickly, blowing her nose. Ron broke into a huge grin.

      "I'm such a genius, aren't I? I knew that'd work…" Ron began to say. Hermione glared at him and rolled her eyes.

       "Oh, don't flatter yourself!" she said as she pushed him out of the room. Hermione was about to shut the door when she opened it wider again.

     "Oh, umm, Ron," she said more to herself than anything. Ron, who had been about to go down the stairs, turned around.

      "Don't worry. I wont say anything….Although I should," he added, grinning. Hermione gave him a grateful smile and watched as he went down the stairs. _Maybe things can be the same again, _she thought to herself, wiping away another tear. Maybe.

*******

         Harry had been sitting at the dining table, bored to death. Percy had been 'filling him in' on all the great happenings at The Ministry. Ginny had managed to escape somehow. So, of course he jumped up enthusiastically when he saw Ron coming down.

      "Where are Fred and George?" Ron asked Harry, scanning the area. The house, surprisingly, was the quietest it had ever been in a while. Except of course for Percy, who hadn't seemed to realize that his only audience was not listening to him any longer. Not that he had been listening from the start, anyway.

     "They went to their room. Said they needed to have a nap as their heads hurt too bad…Found out anything from Hermione?" he asked. Ron shrugged and shook his head. Suddenly, he peered closely at Harry.

     "Harry," he said slowly, "you seem to have grown taller…And you have pimples? How come I never noticed that before?

      Harry didn't know what to say but he suddenly felt very angry. Luckily, Percy came to the rescue (in a sense) by saying, "Ron, _if you don't mind_, I was having a conversation with Harry here."

      Ron snorted, "A conversation?" Then he shut up and disappeared when he saw his brothers loathing look. A look he seemed to be getting a lot lately.

*****

         That night Harry had trouble falling asleep. He had no idea what time it was but it seemed like he had been lying on his mattress forever. Suddenly, Harry yelped out in pain. The terrible pain he had felt in the bathroom that day seemed to have recurred except that it felt twice as bad. 

      Ron, who must have had trouble sleeping too as he was usually a deep sleeper, sat up in bed and said, "Harry? You alright?"

     Harry tried to answer but all he could do was groan as he held his knees to his chest, gritting his teeth. Ron jumped out of bed and flicked on the lights just in time to see Harry relax again. 

     "Are you alri.." Ron stopped short as his eyes widened in horror. Harry's skin had begun to bubble, and he had shut his eyes, praying for it to be over soon. And of course, just like the other day, it stopped. Harry slowly sat up, sweat dripping down his forehead. Ron just stood there, frozen, his mouth hanging open.

     "What-just-happened?" Ron asked, still staring at Harry. Harry didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged.

    "Harry…this isn't any work of You-Know-Who's is it?…I mean, your scar hasn't hurt yet, right?…What just happened here?!" he asked exasperately, with a bemused look on his face. Harry almost laughed out loud. This was exactly the kind of reaction he had expected from Ron. Guess he hadn't changed as much as Harry thought he had.

     "No, Ron. It isn't Voldermort," Harry replied. Ron sighed with relief, but then the puzzled look came on his face again.

     "Then what made you go all…bubbly like that?" Ron asked, looking at his friend suspiciously. Harry felt himself go red for the millionth time..

      "ummm…I don't know exactly, to tell the truth…But I think it has something to do with those pills the twins gave me," harry finally said, not looking at his friend.

     "Pills?" Ron asked questioningly. Harry groaned inwardly and knew it was no use changing the subject. So with much pauses and embarrassment, he told Ron everything. His face was even redder than Ron's when his friend was embarrassed.

      The expression on Ron's face was a mixture of laughter, pity, and anger- if there was even such an expression. This disconcerted Harry even more and he wished he could just disappear. The embarrassment he felt in front of his friend was the worst feeling ever. He felt so pathethic.

    Finally, Ron said, "Harry- those 'pills' my brothers gave you? They're not Body Gro Pills or whatever you call them… They're Pain Bombs. Something my brothers invented to give sudden burst of pain to whoever takes them. They must have modified them to make skin bubble as well…I should know-they made me take one a few months back and said it was vitamin c or something."

      Harry was speechless. he couldn't even manage a 'what?'.

       "That kind of means," Ron said, awkwardly, noticing Harry's shock, "that whatever…. changes, you've been going through- they have nothing to do with the pills…You really ARE growing."

      "They-tricked me?" he finally managed to say. Anger surged through him as he thought of all the embarrassment he had been going through for the past few days. And all for nothing.

       Ron nodded and said something about them being bastards, but Harry wasn't listening. He had just realized, that he, himself had been growing. Maybe the magic in his blood made his puberty appear quicker, but it was all HIS own work. That gave him a little- just a little- happiness. The rest of him was filled with anger.

*************

A/N: so…??????? reviews a must, as always!!! …:)


	10. Calm after the storm

A/N: Firstly, to hermnron4eva- bad choice of words!!! Opinionated- I really meant it as a compliment…you have been great and your reviews mean a lot!!!! Really…so don't be pissed, please….you are not opinionated, I just meant that u alwayz have something to say and that's great..…to the rest of you, I am reallly and truly flattered..*blush*….you guys are so nice.:) 

Umm, one of you (im so sorry but once again my memory sucks) asked me to read your stories..don't worry- I definitely will try soon but at the moment I am really tied up with school…..as for the length of the chapters, I know the last one was longe- I tried to make it longer as my previous ones have been really short...promis I'll try and keep it up!!…And if I am delayed in writing it is because of my stupid computer…or maybe its fanfic.net cos everytime I try to update sumthing goes wrong..*sigh*..the trials I have to go through to serve u guys!!! :)…n e wayz, here goes..

*********************

      The next morning, Harry went down for breakfast in a bad mood. While everyone else chatted at the dining table ( Ron with his mouth full of scrambled eggs), Harry was glum and moody to the surprise of the others. Mrs weasley, as always, was concerned.

    "Aren't you feeling well dear?" she asked, with a worried expression on her face. Harry forced himself to smile and nodded. Mrs Weasley glanced at him again.

    "Maybe I should take your temperature?" she said uncertainly.

    "Oh, Mom, just leave him alone. He's fine, aren't you Harry?" Fred asked, looking at Harry.

   "Yes, thanks," he replied in a cold voice. Fred raised his eyebrows in puzzlement at his brother's friend's tone but quickly dismissed it as morning moodiness. He returned to his eggs without giving another thought to Harry.

     "Hermione- would-you..pass-the…milk.please?" Ron asked, chewing his food. Hermione glared at him disapprovingly then proceeded to pass him the jug.

    "Really, Ron," she said, frowning, "can't you talk when your mouths not full of food?" Everyone at th table expected Ron to reply with some scathing remark as it had been obvious the two of them had not been on spaking terms for a while. Even Mrs Weasley was about to give him a look to prevent a row but all Ron did was roll his eyes and shrug.

     "Whatever,"he muttered good naturedly as he returned to his eggs and toast with gusto. Mrs Weasley shook her head and sighed. _One seems miserable and the others unusually happy, _she thought. Whatever next? 

***************

      After breakfast, Harry decided to confront the twins. He had been up the whole night thinking of why they had done this to him? He ahd always respected them, not because they were his best friend's brothers but for their personalities as well. But how could they have embarassed him this way?

     Fred and George were in  their room  when Harry knocked on their door.

"Come in!" one of them hollered, Harry wasn't sure who. He went into their messy room, the one wall still black from the explosion. Tehre was no longer a hole though as Mrs Weasley had repaired it.

   "Hallo, Harry! Why so glum?" Fred asked, looking up from his comic book. "That's what I came here to talk about," he replied, sullenly.

     "Well, go on then," Fred continued as he and George stopped whatvere they were doing, "we're listening!" 

    "I know about the pain bombs," Harry said, his face as serious as ever. The twins exchanged glances before replying simultaneously: "You do??"

       "Yeah…Ron told me..What I don't get is why?!," Harry continued controlling his voice. By now, anger  was creeping onto his face.

     "Why did you do this? Did you think it was funny? Do you know how embarassing it was for me?!! I embarassed myself in front of Ron- in front of you!!" he asked, his voice rising.

   "Hey, look here Harry..It was just a bit of fun. You are growing anyway. Maybe the Pain Bombs had some weird side effect that triggered your hormones or something," George said with a snigger.

   "You don't get it do you?!" Harry yelled, walking towards the two of them. "Somethings just aren't funny! You guys definitely have talent when it comes to trickery but this time you went overboard! Not only did this stupid joke of yours hurt me physically, you've lost my trust too! And by the looks of it, Hermione's as well!"  

      'Whoa,Harry! Calm down! We never laid a finger on Hermione if that's the impression you got..She really was paranoid, I swear!" George said defensively.

     "We're really sorry. You're right, we were wrong to use your feelings to our advantage..Harry, look here! Don't stare at the floor- there's nothing but wood!" Fred joked, trying to get a smile out of him.

    "Anyway," Fred continued "if it makes any difference, we had no intention of hurting you- well of course we wanted to hurt you, it's a pain bomb after all- but only a bit physically, just for fun. Well, that's not the point so I won't waste time..We really respect you Harry." 

    "Yeah. You're kind of like part of the family as well, you know? We wouldn't have played the trick if we knew it would upset you this much," George added. Harry looked at them. They really looked sincerely sorry and for a moment Harry felt guilty. They had, after all, been the ones who had given him The Marauder's Map. And thry _had always defended him back in Hogwarts. Harry realized that Fred and George had been, in a way, the closest things he had ever had to brothers._

And it's a brother's job to bully you, after all.

    "Oy, Harry! You ok? I know our English isn't that great at times, but I thought we got our point across…Are we forgiven?" George asked, grinning madly for some reason. Harry looked thoughtful for a moment then he just shrugged as if to say "whatever"

    "That's a good sport!" Fred said cheerfully, slapping him on the back.

    "Here, have a caramel- as a peace offering," George offered. Harry accepted it said bye and went out of their room, feeling much more relived then he had earlier. Suddenly, Harry began to gag and he ran to the sink in the bathroom. He cupped his hands under the running water and began to drink furiously. How could he have been so stupid, he thought as his throat burned. A Chilli Caramel!

*************

        A week passed, and the situation at The Burrow changed for the better. Harry's friendship with the twins as well as Ron was restored. Now, harry felt more confident being around Ron as he now knew that he too was growing. His fear of beingleft behind, although still there, was greatly reduced and both Harry and Ron felt more at ease around each other. Mr and Mrs Weasley were greatly relieved as they had sensed the tension between the two and were afraid for their friendship.

     As for Hermione and Ron, everything seemed to be the way it had always been before. But of course, there was more to it just as all relationships are. Hermione couldn't quite seem to forget Ron's previous staring although now he refrained from looking at her altogether unless he couldn't help it. Ron, on the other hand, was still dealing with the complications of his feelings for her. It was as if a part of him he never knew existed had just ben awaken. He just couldn't accept that he had feelings for Hermione- he couldn't! It didn't make any sense. They fought constantly, didn't they? He hated her smart ass atitude and she hated his mouth….They were just friends, period.

      Percy had started work, so the risk of being treated to his stories were gone. During the day, the three of them liked to sit in his room as it was the biggest and the window faced the breeze. So, as it was, the three of them were just sitting down- Hermione reading, Ron and Harry playing Wizard's Chess.

    "Oh, damn, how could I have missed that?" Harry moaned as Ron removed yet another one of his pieces from the board. Ron just smirked

    "Harry, Ron," Hermione said suddenly. " I was thinking, maybe I should go home for the rest of the holidays..The holidays have been extended and I haven't seen my parents for quite awhile. Besides I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome..I'm sure you're mother must have more work now," she said to Ron.

     Suddenly, Harry had a thought that made him miserable. Could it be that he too was overstaying his welcome? Maybe Mrs Weasley expected him to return to the Dursley's for the rest of the holidays as well…

      "Don't talk nonsense, Hermione! Mom loves more people in the house..that goes for you too Harry," he added, noticing his friend's face.

    "Well, maybe so, but I really should go see my parents…" Hermione said, biting her lip.

     "Well, go then for a day or two, then come back…It will be much easier for your parents if we all go to the station together," Ron added quickly to prove more to himself than anything that his suggestion was for the good of everyone. 

     "But Ron, we have more than two weeks to go til school starts! I could stay much longer than that!" Hermione said.

    "Well, go then since you want to so much!" Ron said, suddenly getting angry for some reason.

    "Ron- don't take it the wrong way! It's not that I don't like your house or anything, it's just..Well, ok, I'll come back in two days if that will please you," she said, thinking that she had offended him. But as she had been doing a lot lately- she thought wrong.

*******

A/N: One word: REVIEW!!!!!

P.S.: R any of u readers from UK or any part of the world who knows who Blue are?? I luv them n if u guys have anything 2 donate concerning them to poor lil me this writer would gladly accept it..

Just kidding…well, it would really be 'wizard'…hahahaa:)

Here I go again, sorry!


	11. Just Us Men

A/N: welll…all I can say is loads of apologies n this chapter has been rotting away in my computer 4 the past 6 months..hehe

********

       The next day, Hermione left after breakfast. She said she would be coming back in two days unless her parents wanted her to stay longer. 

          "Well, now that she's gone, I guess it's just us men," Fred said, breaking the silence that had followed as soon as she had disappeared out of the fireplace.

     "Us _men, _Fred? Oh, it will be a long, long way til you get there, love. And what about me and Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley asked sharply as the others stifled their laughter, excluding Percy of course.

      "Oh, mom, you know what I mean!" Fred replied, embarrassed. 

     "Us men, indeed," Mrs Weasley muttered as she headed to the kitchen followed by Ginny who had suddenly regained her shyness around Harry.

    "Well, Ron, there's no time for moping now! Come on- who's game for a broomstick ride? Harry, I bet you 4 packs of Every Flavour Beans that I reach Kipper's Hill, first!" George said with a grin, ignoring the look his younger brother was giving him.

    "Broomstick ride? Surely you lot could do something more productive than that! Why, when I was still in Hogwarts I used my spare time to study! Only Hermione seems to be doing that and good for her. She'll probably end up a _prefect_ like I was!" Percy said, proudly producing the prefect pin he had once worn from his pocket.

     "Oh, I better go and get my books right now! Who wouldn't want to be a _prefect_!" Fred muttered sarcastically as the four of them made their way up the stairs to get their broomsticks.

     "Frederick Weasley, I heard that! And YOU better want to be a prefect and make me proud, just like your brothers!" Mrs Weasley yelled from the kitchen.

     "How does she do that?" Fred asked, shaking his head.

******

        The next two days were mostly spent outdoors where the four of them would play Quidditch or just ride around on their broomsticks. This was quite a change compared to when Hermione was there as she insisted they do at least half an hour's studying a day. Not that the two of them actually did.

        Harry had grown yet another inch taller but the real surprise came when his voice began to crack. The twins teased him like crazy and even Ron couldn't help but laugh when he heard Harry's voice.

     "My, Harry," Mr Weasley exclaimed after hearing Harry speak at dinner that night, "you surely are growing fast!" Harry blushed while Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny laughed. Mrs Weasley glared at them and as payback proceeded to describe just how the twins and Ron's voices sounded when it cracked. Ginny was spared, of course, but that didn't stop her from laughing at her mother's descriptions. 

       Later on in the night, however, Ron's mood seemed to have changed from cheerful to grumpy again. As they prepared to go to bed, Harry tried to strike up a conversation but all the response he was getting was a few grunts.

     "Well, um, Hermione's coming back tomorrow, right?" Harry asked, making one last attempt.

      "No," Ron muttered back in reply as he got into bed.

        "No? But it's been 2 days, hasn't it?" Harry asked, confused. He buttoned up the last button on his shirt and was on his way to switch of the lights when Ron flung a piece of paper at him.

    Picking it up, he read:

Dear Harry and Ron,

     I'm really sorry but I don't think I can make it back tomorrow. My parents close friends have come to stay today and they have two sons, one 13 years old and the other our age, so I am expected to stay on and entertain them.

     Ron, please explain the situation to your mother and tell her I will probably be back before the start of next week. Have fun.

                                                                                         Hermione

        "When did this come?" Harry asked, when he had finished and switched of the lights.

      "While you were in the shower. Did you read the bit about 'entertaining' them? What's she supposed to do- give them a lap dance or something?" Ron asked, when Harry had gotten into bed.

     Harry broke into a smile. He was finding it very hard to imagine Hermione giving a lap dance.

    "Well, I'm sure she's the one having fun there," Ron commented again 

    "I'm sure she is, Ron. Who wouldn't be, if they were the only girl staying in the same house as two other boys," Harry said

       "Exactly!" Ron muttered, sounding very depressed.

     "Ron- I was being sarcastic,." Harry said, smiling to himself. He didn't know how he was going to phrase what he wanted to say next without getting into a major argument.

      "Don't worry, I'm sure she's just doing what her parent's asked her to do….Ron- do you mind if I ask you something?" Harry said hesistantly.

     "What?" Ron replied, in a bored voice.

     "Well-er-..umm.. you like her, don't you?" Harry asked briskyly, holding his breath for what he knew was coming next.

     "What? Like who?" Ron asked, his voice tense- as if daring Harry to even try to answer him.

     "Look, you know exactly who I'm talking about! Hermione, who else? If you thought I was so stupid as not to notice, Ron- you were wrong," Harry replied, slightly annoyed.

     "What?! Are you mad? How could I like her? I mean, you've seen it yourself, how we fight!" Ron said defensively, sitting up in bed.

       "Yeah, I've seen that! But I've seen how you look at her too! Ron, I'm you're best friend; I know you. And I'm tired of being too scared to say anything," Harry replied.

       "What?- I don't look…..I don't like her alright!" Ron yelled.

      "Suit yourself," Harry sighed, turning away from Ron.

       "I don't!" Ron said again, more to himself than anything.

********

      A/N:  finally!!hehehe


End file.
